A Good Thing Here
by AndyBLoved
Summary: Gabriel and Castiel decided that Earth would be the place where two strange angels could live peacefully. At first it was peaceful, their solidarity only interrupted when they needed to exterminate nearby monsters, but it was all shattered when Castiel met two young brothers. (rating might change as story progresses)
1. Chapter 1

"Let's stay here."

Those words were muttered hastily and with a sliver of humor but Castiel knew that Gabriel wouldn't say anything frivolous. They stood deep in one of God's forests on the newly created Earth and breathed in the surrounding trees. It took a bit for the younger angel to piece the meaning of the sentence though it made less sense when everything came together.

"I do not understand, brother. Why would we stay on Earth when we are angels?" Castiel eventually asked.

Gabriel turned from him and looked at the molecules that formed a nearby redwood's bark, memorizing one of its atoms' shape in an attempt to calm his irritation. He had chosen Castiel out of the other angels because of his strangeness. Everyone knew it when he stepped into view that this angel wasn't normal, wasn't like the others. Gabriel took an immediate liking to his peculiar little brother and offered his guidance.

"We aren't like the others, Castiel. You and I are different." he said, turning back to face the other. "Until God created this place, I thought I would have to be stuck in Heaven for all of eternity. Now I can escape, to this wonderland of beauty and who knows what else! Earth is under construction, Castiel, which means there is more to come."

The wind chose this moment to wrap itself around the trees, shaking their naked branches wickedly, momentarily distracting the two conversing angels. A soft sound arose from behind a cluster of twigs before a strange creature fell from the top of a nearby redwood. Castiel quickly caught the beast, cradling it in a white light while inspecting it for any injuries.

"Do you see that? Pretty soon this world will be crawling with new and interesting things like that...thing!" Gabriel exclaimed excitedly. "This can be our world. We'll name all of the creatures God creates and keep them safe."

Castiel watched the small thing in his hands spread its wings, feeling for once in his short life span. He looked through its flesh and examined each organ; the heart small but furiously pounding as if to fight for its right to exist. Watching it gave Gabriel's ramblings meaning and that strangeness in Castiel took control.

"Fowl. I wish to call this a fowl." he said, nodding in affirmation at his elder.

"Then fowl it shall be named." Gabriel grinned back.

Lawrence, Kansas, 1985

Two balls of brunette and blonde rolled past Mary Winchester's feet as she attempted to step into her home with numerous bags of groceries already nearly toppling her over. She let out a heavy sigh that sent a few locks of her hair flying before continuing her trek. The mantra of "John will pick them up in two days" kept the young woman from snapping at her two rambunctious sons.

Dean watched the front door slam shut before pulling Sam up from behind the bush, grinning maniacally. He felt pride swell in his chest, congratulating himself for the spy worthy escape he and his little brother pulled, not once getting noticed by their mother. They had been planning since before Sam's nap time and now they were free to explore the yard.

"Sammy, we're done being spies now." he said as Sam attempted to cover himself in fallen leaves. "We're in the clear, so lets make the most of it!"

"Okay, Dean!" Sam smiled and grabbed his brother's hand.

Although Sam only knew a several phrases now that he was two, Dean would never forget that his name was the first thing he ever said. Neither would Mary since Dean found this to be so important that he had waken her at three in the morning by yelling Sam's name in her ear. Both boys were put in time out for the rest of the week.

"New house?"

It wasn't until they had walked for several minutes that Sam spoke again, pointing his chubby finger across the street and at a blue building. Despite the neighborhood being filled with large suburban houses an apartment complex was placed in the middle of it, housing few and being altogether eyesore to the richer neighbors. But Sam and Dean were enchanted by it the minute the construction finished.

Dean looked across at it with wonder in his green eyes and nodded at his brother. He gripped their hands tighter, looked right and left, then quickly rushed toward the other stretch of sidewalk. Each step counted, every stride strong and life saving, Dean knew this well. They collapsed onto the grass, wheezing and laughing at their recklessness, not noticing that there hadn't even been any cars passing.

After collecting themselves, they rolled onto their stomachs and looked up with purpose. Being up close to the massive building gave them an onslaught of new information to digest. Stairways to conquer, fences to climb, vending machines to raid at the end of their adventure! These discoveries only strengthened the brothers' brave desire to explore this foreign terrain.

"Don't let go of my hand, Sammy." Dean lectured, using his free hand to wag his finger in Sam's face. "If you let go, a clown will come and eat you!"

Sam's brown eyes grew large with fear and he clung tightly to Dean's arm, rapidly looking around for the flesh eating clowns. The elder snickered to himself before leading them through the surprisingly open gates of the apartment complex. It was eerily silent and spacious, but Dean assured Sam that it was only that way because the residents were scared of spies.

"You see, Sammy, people are really really scared of us. They know how great of spies we are, so they ran away!"

"There is no one living here at the moment."

The sudden input made both Winchester boys scream in high falsettos and sent them running to hide behind a stairwell. Dean was the first to peek out, letting a relieved sigh as he saw a young boy standing stoically a few feet away. He looked no older than Dean, disheveled black hair dangling as his head cocked to the side, blue eyes burning with confusion at the commotion.

"Dude, you scared us to death!" Dean laughed and walked Sam back toward the boy.

"I did not intend to kill you, and it seems that you're greatly exaggerating since you are both quite alive." the boy said blinking. "I was merely stating the reason of why the complex is empty."

"You talk funny." Sam whispered from behind Dean, gaining confidence when hearing his brother laugh at the other boy's retort.

The boy momentarily watched as the two brothers bickered, keeping his stationary form, then stared over his shoulder. He seemed uneasy. It was if they had just stumbled into a possibly active mine field and the boy was the only one who noticed. It took only a few moments for Dean to realize the strange behavior.

"Hey man, you okay? I'm sorry about Sammy, he's a baby so he don't mean it when he says things like that." Dean said and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I'll make sure to beat him up if he says anything like that again though."

"I took no offense to your brother's words. The two of you should return back to your place of dwelling before more trouble arises."

"I didn't understand half of what you said."

There are no words descriptive enough to convey the frustration boiling inside the young boy standing in front of the Winchesters. Without knowing how to continue their conversation, Dean did what he thought was logical.

"I'm Dean and this is Sam!"

"...Castiel."

"You should come and play with us since there ain't no adults around right now."

Dean grabbed Castiel's wrist and dragged him over to the sidewalk where he and Sam traversed from. Castiel looked back over his shoulder in exasperation then down at Sam, who was also getting dragged, pleadingly. Unfortunately the toddler only stared up in wonder. The fluffy haired boy gave in after seeing that an escape would be in vain and let himself be seated on the damp grass.

What followed was a series of lengthy games made difficult due to the lack of players and Castiel apparently having no prior knowledge of any of them. Dean patiently took the younger boy along with him during hide and seek and made sure that he didn't actually count to a thousand when he was It.

Despite the obvious clashing of cultures, the boys laughed cheerfully as they played. Even Castiel found himself quietly smiling when Sam could not understand where Dean went when he covered his face.

"Hey, Cas?"

The nickname confused him for a moment.

"Yes, Dean?"

"Can we come over again tomorrow? You're really cool and we like ya!"

Castiel stared at his new friend in bewilderment before nodding slowly, not quite sure if it was the correct response to the ludicrous question. The doubt dissipated when both Dean and Sam cheerily hugged Castiel. He let his sight drift back to where the apartments stood but lingered in their grasp a while longer.

"I have to return now. My older brother is waiting for me." he said then pulled away.

"Awh really? That sucks." Dean groaned, kicking at the ground.

Before Castiel could persuade himself to stay for a few more minutes a very angry Mary snatched up Sam and Dean. Her face was flushed with rage and worry, teeth clenched tight so that none of the upcoming lecture could seep out too early. At the same time two hands clasped around Castiel's small frame and lifted him up to face a preteen that looked just as aggravated.

"Where the hell were you, Cassie? I told you to go grab some snacks from the vending machine, not make them from scratch!" he seethed then turned his attention to Mary. "I'm really sorry about my little brother, miss. I don't think he meant to keep your boys for so long. he just gets carried away when he makes friends."

The nonchalant tone the teen spoke with seemed to calm Mary out of her catastrophic state and back into a passive aggressive time-bomb. She sighed and scrunched her brows together as the boys squirmed in her arms. Mentally reciting every mantra she ever heard that one bitch of a neighbor mutter gave Mary the patience to deal with the problem at hand.

"It's not that they were playing with your brother that angered me. It's the fact that they left the front yard without permission and didn't come back for an hour." she groaned out. "I guess I should be glad they were goofing off."

"Maybe we can just arrange play dates ourselves." the preteen smiled. "I think your boys will try to sneak out again if we don't and Cassie will definitely demand to see his little friends."

Dean immediately stop trying to escape and made ecstatic wriggling motions, calling out to his mother to agree to the terms. Both he and Sam began making promises of doing chores or giving her all their snacks in exchange for this one thing. Mary rolled her eyes and let a smile grace her beautiful features.

"Alright then, young man. I guess we can work out some kind of arrangement." she laughed as her boys cheered. "I'm Mary Winchester, and these two idiots are Sam and Dean."

"I'm Gabriel and this is little Castiel."

The three boys were set back down as their guardians exchanged home addresses and numbers. Dean grabbed Castiel's hand and shook it, grinning from ear to ear as if he had this planned the entire time. When the Winchester family left, Castiel stared at the hand his new friend shook with such vigor, smiling to himself.

"Well, I guess we can't move now." Gabriel said, glaring down at his little brother. "Of all the vessels to pick, you had to choose a child didn't you?"

"I wanted to experience human life as much as possible, brother." Castiel sighed and dropped his hand. "Be grateful I did not choose an infant instead."

"Just don't get too comfortable with those boys. Kids go through friends like clothes and they'll forget about you when they start school. But I'll allow this experiment of your's to continue."

Gabriel ruffled Castiel's hair before turning to walk back toward the apartments, leaving his brother to stare after the three walking forms that argued over what to have for dinner.


	2. Chapter 2

1986

Castiel has seen Dean mad plenty of times since there was hardly a time when his best friend wasn't angry over something, but never like this. He stood in the torn apart room, idle amongst the now shattered toys and ripped sheets, and watched Dean punch his knuckles raw against the wall. It wasn't that he didn't care if his friend's hands were bleeding but not even angels are capable of handling a mangled soul. Three more thuds came before Dean finally collapsed onto the floor, choking on his sobs and curling up in a ball.

"But why... " he whimpered out. "Cas, he took Sammy… He took Sammy and not me."

The child gripped onto the carpet and coughed; his body trembled with such force that it caused Castiel to cross the room and lay a hand on his shoulder. John Winchester had been a small part of the boys' lives, taking them for weekends and occasional holidays, giving them small presents when he could. It was part of the routine and Castiel had filed this information as unimportant and never questioned why the family didn't just live together. That was until John started to only take Sam away.

Dean had ignored it, telling both Castiel and himself that Sam was younger so he deserved a lot more than what was given to him. He saw the brighter side of the situation by saying that he could spend more time with his best friend and his mother. The smile on his face was so wide and honest that it erased Castiel's gnawing disbelief and replaced it with faith. If Dean said that his father was just spoiling Sam because he deserved it, then that was the truth.

"It is not your fault, we did not foresee this happening. If I had, I would've persuaded him to take you as well." Castiel assured him, attempting to be comforting.

"I know, Cas, I know… I thought I was being really good this year too. My school work wasn't always great but I tried! I turned in everything, even the stuff that was super hard! You know I did, you know I tried."

With the last plea, Dean reached up and grabbed Castiel's collar, shaking him restlessly. The angel let the senseless babbling and ruthless mistreatment continue on for several minutes, only listening to each demand and question. Possibly it was because Castiel felt the pain his friend felt. Being separated from his own Father at such a young age, having only his brother for countless years, and never hearing from the one he loved so much.

"You are not a bad son. You have only been faithful and he does not comprehend how important your life is."

Castiel, awkwardly, wrapped his arms around Dean's shoulders and pulled him close, mimicking a scene from a movie Gabriel was watching two days prior. His fingers ran through the younger's brown hair, clumsily at first, and let the tears stain the pajama shirt that wasn't his. Their sleepovers didn't always consist of depressing topics but Castiel had decided to study the art of comfort after an incident where he simply stared at a crying Sam after he fell off the swing set.

Although he had spent most of his life living amongst humans and animals, Castiel had never felt emotions as strongly as he did in the messy room that belonged to his friend. Animosity bubbled up from his toes to his throat; it burned the back of his eyes as he began craft new shades of red. His mind was clouded with John Winchester's lifeless eyes, blood gurgling from that pitiful mouth as he choked on his own vomit. The visions sent thrills up and down his spine.

Dean chose to stay on the floor and sleep among the wreckage, leaving Castiel to stew in the newfound revelations. He quickly changed into the nearest clothes, a dinosaur T-Shirt and khaki shorts, took another look at his sleeping friend then snapped his fingers. Gabriel had shown him every monster nest that they could find in Kansas in order to list all of the towns that need extra protection. Lawrence happened to have vampires living on its outskirts.

It took all of Castiel's strength not to fly back to Dean's little room or the apartment he shared with Gabriel. He looked up at the abandoned barn, rather irritated that he didn't grab a stronger looking vessel before waltzing into an active nest of possibly starving monsters. The earlier buzz of rage kept him focused as he pushed through the doors.

"It seems we've got a little lamb amongst us." growled a voice.

The doors slammed and laughter began to float all around in the darkness, leaving the angel apprehensive. Castiel stumbled forward to where he heard the voice coming from, keeping his pulse at a relatively normal pace so to not excite the inhabitants. A click and a small flame appeared a few feet away, making him stop and watch as a vampire light his cigarette.

"By your size, I'd say you were a small snack to feed one of my children, but by scent I can tell you are not of the world." he took a drag "What brings you here, angel?"

"I have come to ask of your service." Castiel said, lifting his chin with valiance.

Laughter came again but with actual humor in the tone. He thought he even heard one of the vampires snort.

"Come to ask for our service!" the leader motioned for some lights to be lit, "You're off your rocker, angel! Do you know what you're asking?"

"I assure you that I have never had a rocker, and yes I know what I ask. Do not remind me of the sin I am committing and just listen, because this deal will benefit you as well."

The low light gave Castiel an idea of what the monster he was bargaining with looked like. He was a young man on the outside although his eyes held countless years behind them. This was possibly the oldest vampire Castiel had ever met, and he was still older than it. The vampire motioned with a wave of his hand for the angel to continue.

"There is a human I wish for you to kill. If the job is done correctly then I will section off an entire area for your kind to feast upon whenever you wish to. The conditions is that each killing, including the specific human, is done to make it look as if they were animal attacks after you are done drinking them dry.

No laughter came this time. The leader stood, put his cigarette out on his neck, and walked toward Castiel, the light catching blood lust in his eyes. He sized up Castiel's vessel, taking in the small stature that held unstoppable power, before letting a dangerous smirk grace his features. For a moment, the angel believed he made a mistake.

"What's the poor bastard's name?"

"John Winchester."

"An address would also be nice. We're not fucking mind readers."

Castiel narrowed his eyes as the vampires cackled before throwing a phone book at the leader's feet. He watched him flip through it, rolling his eyes at every dramatic page turn, then looked out a nearby window to make sure he didn't waste too much time. Returning to Dean with a clear conscious was the only thing keeping him from ripping apart any of these monsters.

* * *

><p>When Dean woke up early the next morning he expected to still be laying on his floor, curled up with snot smeared on his face, but the familiar warmth of his bed told him otherwise. He sat up and looked around, seeing that his room was spotless and even the wall he had assaulted the other night had been washed clean. The only remnants of the previous night were the scabs now forming along his knuckles. Castiel laid next to him, rigid with his eyes open and staring up at the ceiling.<p>

"Cas?!" the boy screamed and fell out of his bed.

"Hello, Dean." came the reply.

"Geez man, you gotta stop waking up like that! You look so dead!"

"My apologies."

Dean rolled his eyes and pushed himself off the floor, looking around in confusion. He opened his mouth to ask his friend, who was now sitting up, but closed it when he saw the smile on his face. In the year that Dean had known the other boy he had never seen him fully smile. Only small ones that ghosted along his lips or ones that obviously didn't reach his eyes. But this smile, the smile that was aimed at Dean right now, was genuine.

"Dean, we should dress and see if your mother needs any help with breakfast."

"Uh.. Okay, Cas."

Mary was already bustling around the kitchen when the two washed up boys came down the stairs, desperately trying to busy her scrambled mind. She opened and closed random cabinets, grabbing out items that seemed to have no purpose, returning cups or platter to the wrong places. The senselessness didn't stop until Sam's sippy cup was gripped tightly in her hands. A few sobs escaped as she bent over the sink, holding the cup over her head in mock prayer.

Castiel was the first to see her and quickly turned Dean to face the living room, ushering him towards the TV. He turned it on with a quiet snap of his fingers, sat his perplexed friend down in front of Mighty Mouse, then walked back to the kitchen. Mary had pulled herself up from the sink but still clutched onto what remained of her youngest son.

"Ms. Campbell?" he spoke up after she settled down a bit more.

The young woman whirled around, nearly dropping the cup, and quickly tried to wipe away the tears strewn across her cheeks. She coughed and smiled weakly down at Castiel, bending her knees to look him in the eyes.

"Good morning, Cas. Did you and Dean want something to eat while you two watch cartoons?"

"I wanted to know if you needed assistance."

Crinkles formed around her eyes as an honest smile formed.

"No, sweetie, I'm okay. I'll make you two some french toast so go on and sit with Dean. Gabriel called to say he'd be picking you up in a couple of hours."

Castiel frowned at the thought of Gabriel but nodded and went back into the living room. He knew that at some point his older brother would find out about the deal he made with the monsters. Gabriel would most likely try to rip out his grace, but the thought of Sam reuniting with Dean made the decision worth the risk. Castiel watched his friend laugh wildly and held his knees to his chest, feeling the strain of the rapid flying now that he could relax.

Breakfast came and went with Castiel eating small pieces to look human before making the rest disappear when the others weren't looking. It was easy to fake eating and other normal functions in front of the people he cared for. The friendship would be threatened if he dared let it slip that he was not of the world Dean lived in.

Gabriel came, as promised, hours later with a plastered grin on his face. _He knew._ Castiel didn't know how it came to be so soon, but he knew that his brother knew what happened. The small talk between Mary and his brother was close to torture; his small hand sweating in the tight grasp of Gabriel's. They didn't speak until they were far from the house and inside the cramped apartment that was currently trashed.

"You just really like making messes for yourself, don't you?" Gabriel growled and flopped down onto a couch.

"Hypocrisy is not a good look for you, brother." Castiel muttered and kicked a beer can.

"Don't use that fucking tone with me right now! I still can't believe you would do this…"

Castiel stayed in the middle of the apartment, waiting quietly for the actual punishment to be set. He met Gabriel's glare without fear, knowing deep in his heart that he was right. That his decisions were just.

"I just can't believe you'd leave me some god damn vegan meal while you pranced off with your stupid human friends!"

That sentence was not what Castiel expected to hear.

"I mean, is it so hard to ask for a couple of burgers and chili fries? What the hell was I supposed to do with a frozen green bean casserole?! You're lucky we don't need food cause I would've starved! You're such an ass, Cassie."

"I… I apologize, brother." the younger sputtered out in disbelief. "If you let me, I will make you a proper meal today."

"You bet your ass you're sorry!" Gabriel pouted and poofed up a lollipop. "I had to make a pizza appear and you know I hate doing that stuff. It doesn't taste the same as home cooking."

"I do not understand the difference in taste."

"That's because you only focus on humanity as a whole and don't pay attention to the small things. Like food or booze or girls."

Castiel walked through the mess to get to the kitchen that was remarkably left untouched by Gabriel's chaos. Relief had been washing over him since his brother complained but he made sure to look distressed and even fumbled with a few pans. He knew that his brother wasn't an idiot when it came to actual intelligence but he would be lying if he said that Gabriel was a mature angel.

The landline rang furiously that night as the two brothers watched mindless tv and ate a quiet dinner of triple cheese lasagna. Gabriel was the one to answer, his carefree grin immediately dissolving into a horrified gape. He threw his shoe at Castiel and motioned for him to change the channel to the news while rapidly talking to the other person. The dial moved slow under his hands because Castiel knew what the news would show.

"Mary, calm down! We'll be over there in a- wait, what?" Gabriel shouted and moved into the kitchen, his hand pressed against his free ear.

Castiel turned his attention to the tv.

"Local man John Winchester was found dead in his backyard, ripped to shreds by what appears to be a coyote attack. His three year old son was found, thankfully, unharmed in a swing set, faced away from the horrid scene. Although it was obvious that the coyote was hungry, officials cannot say why the child was left alone. More on this story tonight at eight."


End file.
